This summer was the planet's hottest on record, according to Copernicus, the EU's climate service. This has worrying implications for public health: the World Health Organisation reports that heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, with the number of people exposed to extreme heat around the world rising "exponentially" because of climate change. It's also bad for business: according to The Lancet, heat exposure led to the loss of 470 billion potential labour hours in 2021.
Air-conditioned clothing could offer an answer. "By showing air-conditioned clothes in Paris, we hope to be able to suggest new physical forms, but also a sustainable solution to hot weather," air-conditioned clothing, with fans powered by pocket-sized batteries, can be used to reduce the CO2 that would usually be omitted to keep people a comfortable temperature in large buildings.
Though extraordinary on the runway, jackets whirring with cooling fans are already a common sight on blue-collar workers in Japan during the country's humid summer period. The technology works by circulating air internally around the garment via two small fans at the waist, evaporating sweat and thus keeping the wearer cool. Now ubiquitous on everyone from construction workers to traffic controllers in Japan (and edging into other markets, such as China and the US), fan-powered clothing is yet to be adopted by the general public.
The domestic market for air-conditioned clothing in Japan is currently at JPY 16 billion ($107 million), and is predicted to grow to between JPY 20-30 billion ($134-201 million) in the next few years. "From around 2010, it spread to people on construction sites through word of mouth and has grown significantly." , they have begun slowly expanding into China, Taiwan and the US.
Potential for new growth, however, may lie in brands who are incorporating the technology into fashion collections, with the aim to broaden the appeal to fashion consumers. These partnerships are part of a concerted effort by the company to break out of the workwear space. "Our mission is to spread the word about air-conditioned clothing to a wider audience," says Megacool. "We're now reaching a point where it's becoming part of the lifestyle and fashion world."